The Liberty Papers

This time, in Somalia. The weak Somali interim government is under attack by Islamofascist militias with ties to Al-Qaeda. The Ethiopian government has deployed troops to support the Somali government. Yesterday, the Ethiopians upped the stakes by launching air strikes against Islamofascist militia positions in and around Mogadishu. Now, the Bush State Department doesn’t like that very much.

The Bush administration is urging a halt to conflict in Somalia that has intensified since neighboring Ethiopia launched air strikes on the country’s two main airports and sent ground troops into Somali territory. VOA’s Michael Bowman reports from Washington, Ethiopia’s military intervention is aimed at propping up the weak Somali government, which is challenged by a powerful Islamic militia.

The State Department says the United States is concerned by the deteriorating security situation in Somalia, and by the humanitarian impact of the fighting. A State Department spokesperson told VOA that Somali civilians should be protected, and that the United States is urging all Somali parties to cease hostile actions.

There was no mention of Ethiopia’s role in the conflict. However, the spokesperson said the United States encourages all sides to return to the negotiating table to find a solution that will bring peace and security to Somalia and the region, mirroring earlier statements from the European Union as well as the Arab League.

So, instead of cheering Ethiopia on as they proceed to destroy an Al-Qaeda aligned Islamofascist militia, the State Department wants them and the Somali government to sit down and talk to them. That’s nice, in fact, that makes about as much sense as the US sitting down with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda after 9/11. The Ethiopians should tell Bush to fark off and mind his own damn business and get back to them when he does something about Iraq.

Unfortunately, this is just another incident among many including the double standard that Israel is subjected to when fighting terrorists, the blind eye to the Iranian takeover of Iraq, the increasing debacle in Afghanistan, and the unwillingness to confront Saudi Arabia that demonstrates the lack of seriousness of the Bush Administration in fighting the War on Islamic Terror. Bush has two years to draw up a serious strategy to combat Islamofascist terrorism or he will be remembered as a failure along the lines of Jimmy Carter and LBJ.

UPDATE: I may have blown this call. The BushRice State Department actually is supporting the good guys here.

The State Department signaled support Tuesday for Ethiopian military operations against Somalia, noting that Ethiopia has had “genuine security concerns” stemming from the rise of Islamist forces in its eastern neighbor.

Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos also said that the Ethiopian military acted at the request of Somalia’s internationally backed secular government, which has been resisting with little success the spreading influence of the more powerful Islamist forces.

Gallegos noted that Ethiopia has said that its action is intended to prevent further aggression by the Islamic Courts militias.

So today at least, the State Department opposes Al-Qaeda. What about tomorrow?

UPDATE II: A Kossack proves why they can’t be trusted with national security.

Basically it comes down to this:

Ethiopia is not acting in the interests of the Somalian people.

Ethiopia is bombing civilian area of Somalia and invading a country that had not attacked them.

The Somalia Transitional Government is a joke to the average Somalian citizen. So why should we back them?

The al-Qaeda claims against the ICU in Somalia comes from dubious sources.

1)It’s not Ethiopia’s job to act in the interests of the Somalian people. It’s Ethiopia’s job to act in the interests of the Ethiopian people.

2) The “civilian areas” being bombed are transit points for jihadis. As for the “not attacking them”, see this:

The Islamists have caused unease in Washington by expressing interest in establishing a “Greater Somalia” that would include ethnic Somali regions of Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti.

Obviously if they nip this potential threat in the bud, so be it.

3) The Somali “government” is far more preferable to an Al-Qaeda proxy army running the show, any day of the week.

4) The “dubious sources” are various jihadis coming in from Pakistan, Chechnya, and the Arab states who are coming to fight and martyr themselves for Allah. Obviously if they get the martyrdom they seek now, it will be better for everyone involved, especially the infidels who won’t have to die as a result of the delayed martyrdom.